'Green' Stimulus Boondoggle Brings Fewer Than 20 Jobs for $6 Million

The problems with ‘green job’ creation and the incompetence of the federal government are both evident when analyzing how a “stimulus” program failed to produce jobs in Wisconsin.

Other than a couple government administrators and about a dozen tech college instructors, the Recovery Act’s Green Jobs Program has not created any jobs in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin received a $6 million award for its version of the green jobs program called Sector Alliance for the Green Economy (SAGE). The stated goal is the “greening” of Wisconsin’s workforce. On paper, the US Labor Department expected the money to help place 2,120 Wisconsinites into permanent jobs.

Wisconsin shouldn’t have too much trouble accomplishing that goal because the only people allowed into SAGE already have jobs. The program works exclusively with the apprenticeship program, and in order to be an apprentice, you need to have a job.

So, at best, this ‘green jobs’ program was about turning regular old non environmentally-friendly jobs green. At worst, it was merely seen as ‘free’ money from the feds. Read more from the MacIver News Service>>